title: Risk management: a management-oriented program implemented through the medical director's office.
abstract: General management approaches can be applied effectively to a medical facility's risk management program. By centralizing organizational structure, anticipating and controlling risk, investigating claims liabilities, and educating the medical and administrative staffs and other hospital employees, the risk management staff at Geisinger Medical Center has established a solid base for an effective program. Moreover, the risk manager "makes rounds" throughout the institution to obtain a firsthand view of risk control in action. Conversely, physicians and nurses "rotate" through the risk manager's office to learn more about the program and their vital roles in its success. Even though the concept of risk management is fairly new, the staff at Geisinger Medical Center already is using the information generated by incident reports, medical care evaluations, utilization reports, and claims investigations to enhance its understanding of the risk control program. By encouraging the involvement and the support of medical and administrative staffs, and by using a management-oriented approach, the administration of the Geisinger Medical Center believes its risk management program has a solid foundation and a strong framework for success.
mesh_terms: D005376:Financial Management; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006801:Humans; D010414:Pennsylvania; D008486:Physician Executives; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012308:Risk Management